Try this easy, gluten-free chewy granola bar recipe packed with oats, nuts and chocolate chips. Perfect for back-to-school snacks or a quick breakfast on the go. Be sure to watch the video!
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Granola Bars are the powerhouse of energy. They are perfect for a quick breakfast on the go, evening or back to school snack, or for after-workout hunger pangs.
Making Granola Bar at home is like custom ordering your own sandwich at Subway. I find homemade granola bars way better than the store-bought ones. Why?
Reasons To LOVE Homemade Granola Bars
- highly customizable
- easy to make and store
- gluten-free and vegetarian
- zero palm oil or harmful chemicals
- no artificial flavour or preservatives
Use a variety of dry fruits, nuts, and berries as per your liking and enjoy all of them in one bite.
Ingredients Required
Talking about the ingredients for the chewy granola bar recipe, you need:
- Whole Oats: I have used gluten-free whole oats for making granola bars. They give the sort after chewy texture to the bars. I use them to make overnight oats, pancakes, and even smoothies.
- Almonds: The roughly chopped almonds give a great crunch to the granola bars. In case you are allergic to almonds, use hazelnuts, pistachio, or any other nuts.
- Dried Cranberry: The sweetness, tartness, and chewiness of the dried cranberries perfectly complement the crunchiness of almonds. Feel free to use dried blueberries, figs, apricot, or golden raisins.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: Can you say no to chocolate? I cannot. Hence, there have to be chocolate chips in my granola bars.
- Cinnamon Powder: It gives a spicy, warm, and earthy taste to the granola bars. You can use a pumpkin pie spice mix as well.
- Peanut Butter: It is the binding ingredient in this chewy granola bar recipe. Any good quality, creamy nut butter will do the job.
- Honey: It helps to get the desired spoon-dropping consistency of the peanut butter. If the nut butter you are using is of a liquid consistency, skip adding honey.
- Vanilla: It is only for the sweet flavour and aroma.
Tips To Make Chewy Granola Bars
- For the soft and chewy granola bars, do not bake them for more than 20 minutes else they will turn crisp.
- Once the granola bars come out of the oven, the nutty aroma is really tempting and luring. But you need to control your fingers from digging into the hot granola bars.
- Allow them to cool completely for 2 – 3 hours before cutting into bars then only they will be chewy and not crumble apart.
Watch Granola Bar Video
Storage Suggestion
The best way to store granola bars is in a square or rectangular airtight glass container with a lid.
Place a sheet of parchment paper in between each granola bar or pack each one of them in individual sheets. This way they remain fresh and do not crumble or stick together.
You can store them in the fridge for 1 – 2 weeks. Though, in cold climatic conditions, you can store them at room temperature.
Recipe Variation: Vegan Granola Bars
For making vegan chewy granola bars, use stevia, molasses, or liquid brown sugar instead of honey.
In case the consistency of your nut butter is runny and liquid, you can skip adding honey.
More Baked Snack Recipes
- Date Nut Bread
- Cheese Corn Muffins
- Eggless Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Apple Muffin With Oats Crumble
- Indian Shortbread Cookies (Nankhatai)
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Chewy Granola Bar Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cup instant oats
- 1 Cup chopped almonds
- ⅓ Cup dried cranberry
- ⅓ Cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ Cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ Cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Grease and line with parchment paper a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan. Set aside. Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients – oats, almonds, cranberry, chocolate chips, and cinnamon powder. Set aside.
- Transfer honey and peanut butter to a saucepan. Mix nicely. Heat for 20 – 30 seconds stirring continuously to make a smooth liquid. Do not heat or cook for too long. Turn off the heat. Remove the saucepan from the stovetop.
- Add vanilla extract and whisk to combine. The peanut butter mixture should be of spoon dropping consistency.
- Pour over the oat mixture. With a large spoon or spatula, stir the mixture, making sure all the dry ingredients are completely coated with the peanut butter liquid.
- Transfer the granola into the greased baking pan. Using fingers/back of a glass/bowl lightly press the granola into an even layer.
- Bake for about 18 – 20 minutes, or until set in the middle rack of the oven. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 2 – 3 hours before cutting into bars.
- Store granola bars in a clean airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
Recipe Notes:
- I have used gluten-free whole oats for making granola bars.
- In case you are allergic to almonds, use hazelnuts, pistachio, or any other nuts.
- Feel free to use dried blueberries, figs, apricot, or golden raisins.
- Any good quality, creamy nut butter will do the job. I love the flavor of peanut butter, hence used it.
- If the nut butter you are using is of a liquid consistency, skip adding honey.
- For making vegan chewy granola bars, use stevia, molasses, or liquid brown sugar instead of honey.
Praveen says
Love this.
Shipli jain says
Loving it
Hina Gujral says
thank you!